


SDV Gunther !demon AU

by shandonbeveridge



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26733202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shandonbeveridge/pseuds/shandonbeveridge
Summary: Penny learns a horrifying secret about the town's resident museum curator.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	SDV Gunther !demon AU

The sound of Penny’s feet on the bridge echoed into the shadowy darkness, as she hurried towards the library, breath quickening with every step. “What an idiot I am!” she thought to herself, “Leaving my bag at the library, how careless! Hopefully, Gunther will still be there to let me in.” As she stepped off the bridge and turned towards the library door, she noticed something rather peculiar. A strange red light emanating from inside. It seemed to glow, and shift, and move before her very eyes. Her eyes were fixated on it ; she could not seem to bear to look at anything else. It called out to her. Come closer, it said, nearer, nearer, come to me child. Penny staggered towards the door, feet feeling like stone. Despite her body’s unwillingness, her mind urged her forward. She simply must go inside. She grasped the handle, and swung open the door.

Inside the library, the lights flickered as usual. The books lined the shelves, just like they always did. Everything seemed at peace. Penny breathed a sigh of relief. Now that she was inside, the unusual feeling she had had merely moments ago seemed to have vanished into thin air. She remembered the first time she set foot in this building, years ago. She must have been around 5 years old. It seemed so magical back then, and still does now ; a wonderland of passages to other worlds, just waiting for her to explore. Books let her forget her life at home. Pam’s drunken rages. The stench of beer cans in the bin. The low rumbles of her intoxicated snores after a long night at the Saloon. Penny shook her head quickly. “No, I mustn’t think about that now. I’m here to get my bag after all, the children are waiting back on the farm.” She took a few steps forward, and realised Gunther was not at his usual spot behind the counter. How odd. She’d never seen him anywhere else. Where on earth could he be? Her interest piqued; Penny took another step forward. And another. And another. She was stood in front of the counter, when she noticed some peculiar markings on the edge. There were long, and deep, with flecks of red dotted about in the crevices. Something with a lot of strength had to have made them. An animal perhaps? Or maybe something more sinister was at play…

All of a sudden, a shriek pierced her ears, causing her to wince in pain. Her head whipped around, and as it did, her jaw fell open. What lay before her was only describable with one word: carnage. Books were scattered on the floor, pages torn out, chairs up ended. The lights on the desks were smashed, pieces of glass pierced into the wood. Her eyes focused onto one particular section of the chaos, the corner, by the study table. There lay the small brown bear she used to use to tell Vincent and Jas stories – its head decapitated, stuffing spilling out of its body like the guts of a freshly speared soldier. Penny’s heart sank. She remembered holding that lifeless form, holding up its arms to add character, giving him a silly voice to make the children laugh. Tears filled her eyes as she choked up in anguish. What sort of a monster had done this? She was determined to find out. After all, all those years of reading mystery novels had to have paid off - if Miss Marple could summon the courage to confront murderers and bank robbers, she could too! Stepping gingerly through the mountain of book pages, Penny moved towards the back of the museum. All the lights were off. The eerie darkness only quickened her already racing heart. “Hello?” she cried out “Is anyone there? Gunther, is that you?”. At the mention of the curator’s name, another sound moaned from behind the shelves. Lower, this time. Deeper. Pushing through her fear, the young woman carried edging forward. If something had happened to Gunther, she would never forgive herself. He had given her a job here, and a chance at financial independence. Saving him from a wild beast might be a nice reward for that. Suddenly, Penny noticed where the red light she saw earlier had come from. The fire! Of course, it must have just been reflected in the windowpanes, nothing strange about that. She smiled, slightly more at ease now, having given something bizarre a perfectly logical explanation. Looking down, she noticed a book that had remained intact after the massacre of the rest behind her. Something on the page had been circled in red pen. Curious, she bent down to get a closer look. The highlighted lines read as follows: ‘This creature is an unusual one, to say the least. They develop or forcefully take over a base, or fortress to reside in, and once they have taken up residence, they never leave. They have been known to take the form of a younger human, as so to extend their lifespan in this body. Known to be manipulative and highly persuasive, conning others into collecting the rare artefacts which fuel their heinous powers.’ Penny gasped loudly, and fell backwards away from the book. “Oh no…it can’t be!” she hoped. It was all coming together now, the gears in her brain whirred as she pieced together the mystery that was her boss. The reclusion from the rest of the town, the refusal to leave the library, the quest her spouse was sent on down to the mines, everything made sense all of a sudden. “No, no, no, no, I have to get home, I have to go!” she cried. Before her, a dark shadow rose, its head almost reaching the ceiling, with two glowing red eyes locked onto her. A deep, articulate voice spoke to her, like it was whispering directly in her ear. “Penny, my dear, I had hoped it would not come to this. A fool indeed. You will pay a high price for your carelessness.” The woman’s face was now white with fear, her eyes so wide it seemed they may burst. The figure took a step forward, and she was able to see its face for the very first time. 

A smirk crossed its blackened visage, exposing the blood-stained fangs hiding behind cracked lips. Bloodshot eyes locked onto hers, seeming to trap her within their gaze. He loomed above her, he had to be around 7 or 8 feet tall, a sheer giant, who could probably crush her with his bare hands. A blue shirt ripped around the edges was barely clinging to his enormous frame. Gunther’s glasses were smashed on the floor. Hands gripped tightly by their side; the creature advanced towards the terrified figure quivering before them. Penny’s eyes were as wide as they could be, hands shaking. “Please don’t hurt me!” she cried, “I won’t tell a soul! N-Not even the farmer!” A deep laugh boomed from its throat. “I think we both know that isn’t true. You’re a liability Penny. I do hope you said goodbye to your children this morning. I don’t think they’ll see you again any time soon”. And with that last utterance, the creature pounced upon her, teeth bared.

From the next day onwards, the mood in Pelican Town shifted. The townsfolk shuffled about their days without the same vigour as they once had, all consumed by their own dark thoughts. It was as if a great depression had gripped the area. What none of them knew, however, was that they had all heard the scream that fateful night. And none of them had been to the library since. It was closed – indefinitely. Gunther has seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving only a brief goodbye note on the counter. The farmer searched for many days and nights for their spouse, neglecting the farm to do so. They could often be seen in the neighbouring fields, endlessly calling Penny’s name. Maybe if they’d looked under the floorboards of the museum, they’d find the closure they so seeked.


End file.
